Labour minister Liam Byrne left note on desk: ‘There’s no money left’

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Liam Byrne, the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, last week wrote a
letter for his successor - the Liberal Democrat David Laws - stating: “I’m
afraid to tell you there’s no money left.”

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Mr Laws said: “When I arrived at my
desk on the very first day as Chief Secretary, I found a letter from the
previous chief secretary to give me some advice, I assumed, on how I conduct
myself over the months ahead.

“Unfortunately, when I opened it, it was a one-sentence letter which simply
said ’Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell